The 2016 dressage Nations Cup series will launch next March at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida to kick off a lineup of seven events, six in Europe, after three years of testing.

Odense, Denmark and Compiègne, France will be new to the schedule that also includes Rotterdam, Netherlands; Falsterbo, Sweden; Aachen, Germany and Hickstead, England.

The lineup of Nations Cup events recommended by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Dressage Committee will go to the FEI Bureau for approval next month.

If the schedule is approved, the seven events will be the most since the FEI launched the “test” series in 2013 with four events in Europe–Wellington staged a Nations Cup that year but it was not part of the series. Six events were held in 2014 and 2015.

As many as 19 nations competed in events during the three-year “test” period, among them Australia, Canada, Colombia, South Africa and the United States in addition to 14 teams from Western and Central Europe.

The Netherlands won the series in 2013 and 2014 and Germany in 2015.

Rotterdam, Aachen and Hickstead were on the calendar for all three test years.

Under the format for 2016, countries can field teams with a minimum of three horses and riders and a maximum of four combinations and compete in as many Nations Cups as they want but points from only four shows will count for the final series ranking.

Wellington was officially part of the series for two years, the first non-championship Nations Cup in the Western Hemisphere. The team format of mixed Big and Small Tour combinations for the Pan American Games in 2015 was developed using the Nations Cup at Global.

For 2016, Compiegne, Rotterdam, Falsterbo and Aachen are rated as CDIO5*, the highest level with minimum prize money of €20,000/US$21,300 while Wellington, Odense and Hickstead will be CDIO3*s with a minimum purse of €10,000/US$10,650. The Wellington organizers provided a purse of $35,000 for its Nations Cup competitions.

The format for the 2019 Pan Ams has not yet been decided but when it is, said Thomas Baur, sports manager of the Global circuit, it will be applied in Florida for development over the next four years.